If people aren't using the data that's being opened up, is it worth putting the time, money, and resources into opening it up in the first place?

The easy is answer is yes, it is worth it, and I'd agree with that answer in most cases for the sake of organizational transparency and future value for the data. But another question remains: for organizations that don't necessarily have the in-house skills to work on formatting and releasing structured data, what's the incentive in exhausting resources they don't always have in releasing data that may never be used?

While we all consider the Apps for Democracy project[3] a pretty big success, it's worth noting that only a small percentage of the data sets that were released were actually used in creating all the application submissions. What about all the data that hasn't been used? Should it continue to be updated and maintained?

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They may not seem like the most pressing questions right now, but as we're trying to encourage developers to use the World Bank API[5] in new and innovative ways right now, they are questions that need to be asked.

Again, I'd argue that opening up all types of data, despite use or underuse, is important at its most basic for the sake of organizational transparency. What data creators need to do, however, is work closely with the data users to find out what kind of data they need and want, and what kind of support they need to use the data in exciting ways.

Of course, that's just what I think. Do you see value in releasing structured data? How can we encourage better use of the data that has already been released?